A GUIDE TO FORT 
ANCIENT 

(SECOND EDITION) 



With Road Map, Map of Fort and Illustrations 



BY 

W. C. TICHENOR 



Price, Twenty-five Cents 



For Sale by W. C. Tichenor, Lebanon, Ohio, by Hotels and 
Garages in Towns near the Fort, and by Booksellers Generally. 



Copyright, 1916, by W. C. Tichenor, Lebanon, Ohio 



^3 t 




Looking South from Fort Ancient Bridge toward "Prospect Point." 





Looking- North from Fort Ancient Bridge. The Y. M. C. A. Boys' 

"Swimmin' Hole." 

©CI.A437406 — 



AUG 28 1916 



Preface to the Second Edition 

The first edition of "A Guide to Fort Ancient" appeared in 
1905. It was the original "Guide" and was the result of an 
effort to put into popular form the facts and speculations con- 
cerning the Fort. It developed from notes taken for the pur- 
pose of interesting a class of high school boys who were friends 
of the author. "Fort Ancient, Part II," by Professor Moore- 
head, of Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, contained the 
following comment: 

"Among recent publications upon Fort Ancient there is 'A 
Guide to Fort Ancient,' by W. C. Tichenor, of Dayton, Ohio. 
This is a neat pamphlet of 34 pages with nine illustrations. It 
is well written, accurate and contains all needed information. 
It is the Fort Ancient Baedeker, and we commend its perusal to 
visitors who would understand what they observe." 

The first edition of the "Guide" has long since been disposed 
of, but the continued demand for a brochure with maps, illus- 
trations and definite information about the Fort has led to the 
publication of a second edition with many new features of 
interest. The road map, a number of illustrations and the stories 
about Fort Ancient are added. The illustrations at pp. 37 and 38 
are from photographs furnished by Professor W. K. Moorehead; 
those at pp. 4, 21 and 46 are from photographs taken and fur- 
nished by Mr. Arthur Gilmour, of Lima, Ohio. 




Among the Fort Ancient Hills. 
4 



FORT ANCIENT 



Introductory 

Fort Ancient is one of the most interesting remains of 
antiquity on the North American continent. It is situated in 
Warren County, Ohio, on a plateau at the summit of the east 
bank of the Little Miami River overlooking its namesake in the 
valley, a hamlet and station on the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chi- 
cago & St. Louis Railway. It is forty-two miles northeast of 
Cincinnati by rail and seventy-eight miles southwest of Colum- 
bus. "The Fort," as it is called, is perhaps the largest and 
most wonderful work of the so-called "Mound-Builders." It has 
attracted students and men of science from every civilized country 
in the world. 

The first printed account of Fort Ancient of which we have 
record was published in 1809. Extensive excavations were begun 
by Prof. W. K. Moorehead in 1889. The reports of these 
excavations, embodied in his volumes, "Fort Ancient" and "Primi- 
tive Man in Ohio," aroused great interest in these earthworks 
and did much to bring about the purchase of the parts of the 
Fort by the State of Ohio in 1891, 1896 and 1908. In later 
years exhaustive explorations and surveys have been made by 
Prof. W. C. Mills, of the Ohio State University. 

A splendid collection of artifacts found at and near Fort 
Ancient may be seen at the Archaeological Museum on the cam- 
pus of the Ohio State University. At the Fort, however, there 
is nothing to point out to the visitor where the excavations have 

5 



6 



INTRODUCTORY 



been made, to show what the excavators discovered, nor to tell 
what is known or believed about the builders of this great earth- 
work. There should be a museum at the Fort in which the finds 
could be displayed. A building or room of sufficient size for 
this purpose could be built at moderate cost, and it would add 
to the attractiveness and educational value of the place. Archaeol- 
ogists tell us that there is no spot in the State of Ohio where so 
many relics of such value and perfection have been found as at 
the Fort. Six large collections of artifacts, almost all of which 
were obtained at Fort Ancient, aggregate 40,000, and several 
times that number have been taken away by tourists and private 
collectors. Yet no collection is to be seen at the Fort itself by 
the visitor while he is most interested. 

It is to furnish to the visitor at the Fort a brief and conve- 
nient means of information that this brochure has been compiled. 
The map is a reduction and adaptation from the map published 
in Professor Moorehead's "Fort Ancient." The numbers and 
letters on the map mark the points of interest, and correspond to 
the numbers and letters of the descriptive paragraphs. 

I take great pleasure in acknowledging the personal favors 
which I have received from Prof. W. K. Moorehead, of Phillips 
Academy, Andover, Massachusetts. He has permitted the use of 
the map of the Fort, the illustrations of the children's cemetery 
and of the artifacts, and such parts of his writing as I have 
found suitable to my purpose. I desire also to express my thanks 
to Prof. W. C. Mills, of the Ohio State University, for the re- 
ports of his recent explorations among the mounds of Ohio ; to 
Hon. E. O. Randall, of Columbus, Ohio; to Mr. Josiah Morrow, 
of Lebanon, Ohio, and to Mrs. J. P. Owens, of Lebanon, for an 
excellent brochure on Fort Ancient written by her father, the 
late Dr. S. S. Scoville. 



INTRODUCTORY 



7 



The following bibliography may be of interest to those who 
desire a more thorough knowledge of the subject: 

"Fort Ancient," and "Primitive Man in Ohio/' Prof. W. K. 
Moorehead. 

"Observations Concerning Fort Ancient," S. S. Scoville, M. D. 
"Prehistoric America," De Nadaillac. 
"Antiquities of Tennessee," Thruston. 

"American Archaeology," and "Mound Exploration for the 
Bureau of Ethnology," Prof. Cyrus Thomas. 
"Antiquities of the Southern Indians," Jones. 
"Historic Races of the United States," Foster. 
Reports of the Peabody Museum, Cambridge. 
"The Mound-Builders," J. P. McLean. 

"Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley," Squier and 
Davis. 

"Footprints of Vanished Races in the Mississippi Valley," 
Conant. 

"Antiquities of Ohio," Shepherd. 

The Reports of the Ohio Archaeological and Historical Society 
also contain many articles on Fort Ancient. 

If this pamphlet shall awaken a wider interest in Fort Ancient, 
in the mysteries of the works and their builders, in their value as 
an object-lesson to schools and study classes, and in the natural 
beauty of the place, it will have accomplished its mission. 



Facts Concerning Fort Ancient 

Length of the enclosure, 4,993 feet, or a little less than one 
mile. 

Distance around the Fort following the top of the embankment, 
18,712.2 feet, cr a little more than three miles and a half. 

Width of enclosure in a bee line from west to east, 993 feet. 

Area within the enclosing walls, about 126 acres. 

Tracts including parts of the Fort purchased by the State of 
Ohio: (1) 180 acres, May 11, 1891; 107 acres, December 5, 
1896; 20 acres, June 3, 1908. 

Height of plateau above low-water mark, 269 feet. 

Height of plateau above the level of the Atlantic Ocean, 
919 feet. 

Amount of earth used in the construction of the walls, at least 
139,000 cubic yards. 

Total cost of land to the State of Ohio, $15,500. 

"The embankments are largely of earth, although stones are 
numerous here and there. . . . The material used in the con- 
struction of the embankment is chiefly surface loam and clay, 
although some glacial clay and gravel enter into its composition. 
The stones used to face the exterior of the wall to a height of 
four or five feet are large limestone slabs, 2x3 feet or 18x25 
inches. They were laid without cement. Some very large slabs 
seem to have been used to prevent the edge of the wall from 
washing into the ravine. We find many of these stones several 
yards within the present edge of the embankment. Originally 
they marked the edge of the embankment, and the earth which 
now covers them has been washed down from above. A study of 
these and of their position gives us an idea of the width and 
height of the original embankments." 

8 



GUIDE 



The numbers of the following paragraphs correspond to the 
numbers on the map. They begin at the west entrance to 
the Fort. 

No. 1. Point in West Wall, South of the Pike. 

The wall here is nineteen feet high and seventy feet wide. It 
was much higher and narrower when first built. The ease of 
approach by this gentle slope made a stronger wall necessary at 
this point. Notice the stones in the wall opposite. Stones may 
be seen cropping out at many of the gateways. More stones 
have been found in similar walls near Glenford, Ohio, and else- 
where in the earthworks of the Mound-Builders. The presence 
of these stones has led some to believe that the Mound-Builders 
erected vertical stone gate-posts and faced the outside of the 
earthwork with stone walls. 

No. 2. Reservoir. 

This place fomierly contained several feet of water, but it has 
since been filled up with decayed vegetable matter. Artificial 
reservoirs for holding water are almost always found within the 
defensive works of the Mound-Builders when the works are not 
located near streams, and when springs are not included within 
them. 

No. 3. North Crescent Mound. 

Much of this mound has been effaced. The road also cuts it 
in two. It was originally two hundred and sixty-nine feet long, 



10 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



and was probably an effigy mound. Doctor Scoville suggests 
that it may have been a complete circle. 

No. 4. North Terrace. 

On the other side of the ravine to the north is the North Ter- 
race. It is about a mile in length, and is of almost uniform 
level with the terrace along the Fort hill and with the one on 
the opposite bank of the river. (See Paragraph No. 27.) 

No. 5. Plateau. 

This plateau, enclosed by the walls, is two hundred and sixt} r - 
nine feet above low-water mark. The original surface soil and 
almost all of the clay beneath it were removed to build the walls, 
leaving little or no clay above the limestone. The soil now above 
the limestone is more than twelve inches in depth and has been 
formed by the gradual decay of vegetable matter since the time 
of the Mound-Builders. It is estimated that it has taken at least 
five hundred years to form this surface soil. The ground en- 
closed is somewhat lower than that outside. 

Nos. 6, 7, 8 and 9. Four Small Mounds. 

These four mounds, one on the north side of the road and 
three on the south side, form a sort of rude square nearly in line 
with the cardinal points. The east mound (7) was covered with 
burnt stones. These mounds may have been used as dwelling 
sites, as the repository of the ashes of cremated bodies, or as 
"fire mounds," where attendants, like the Vestal Virgins of Rome, 
kept the fire ever burning. 

Not much of interest has been found in the mounds, either 
inside or outside the Fort. The principal finds have been made 
in the graves, the stone heaps and in the valley below. 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



11 



No. 10. Probably a Fire Mound. 
Xo. 11. 

This narrow neck, which divides the structure almost into 
halves, is called the Isthmus. The south enclosure is the South, 
or Old Fort ; the north enclosure is the North, or New Fort. 

No. 12. Crescext Gateway. 

Judging from its slight elevation, scientists generally agree 
that this was an effigy mound, for the effigy mounds are seldom 
more than three or four feet in height, and represent in outline 
the figure of some animal of gigantic size, often several hundred 
feet in length. The Serpent Mound in Adams County, Ohio, 
one of the largest, is five feet high and about one thousand feet 
long. 

Scoville 9 s Serpent Mound. 

Some years ago Dr. S. S. Scoville, of Lebanon, discovered a 
Serpent Mound somewhat similar in shape to the Adams County 
Serpent Mound. It lies near Stubb's Mills (between Morrow and 
South Lebanon) in Warren County, and is 1,880 feet long, 
fifteen to twenty feet wide at the widest point and about three 
feet high. It is built upon a foundation of small river stones. 
Prof. Putnam, of Harvard University, investigated the Sco- 
ville Serpent Mound in 1886 and corroborated the statements 
of Dr. Scoville concerning it. On September 23, 1908, Dr. 
Wright, the eminent archaeologist of Oberlin, together with other 
men of science, visited the mound. The doctor pronounced the 
mound undoubtedly an effigy of a serpent, and was surprised 
that it had not been given greater publicity before. 



12 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



No. 13. Middle Fort. 

This extends from the wing walls, which run out to make the 
Crescent Gateway, to the Great Gateway. Along the rib of the 
Middle Fort, near the road, great quantities of fragmentary 
human bones were found. The three Forts are often spoken of 
as one, and called The Fort. 

No. 14. Valley View. 
No. 15. 

Here no embankments were needed, as the steepness of the 
banks of the ravine afforded sufficient protection against the 
assaults of an enemy. 

No. 16. 

(Mounds Nos. 51 and 52, as numbered by Pro- 
fessor Moorehead.) 

East and southeast from this point are several mounds. 

Mound No. 51, two hundred yards south of Mound No. 50, 
which is one-fourth mile southeast of Mound No. 69 (No. 37 as 
stated below), contained traces of decayed skeletons, flints, and 
chips. 

Mound No. 52, near the Fort walls, was surrounded by a 
circle of stone immediately beneath the surface, consisting of 
three layers twenty inches wide. Nothing was found within the 
stone circle. The field near this mound is rich in relics. 

No. 17. Great Gateway. 

The Great Gateway connected the Old Fort and the Middle 
Fort. Great heaps of stones, used both as coverings for graves 
and as a protection to the embankments, have been found about 
it. The raised platform which forms the approaches to the 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



13 




Great Gateway, Looking South. 



Gateway is about four feet higher than the surrounding level. 
The south approach contained many human bones, and many 
stones were found in the small mound near it. It is probable 
that the Great Gateway was a strategic point in aboriginal war- 
fare, and that many bloody battles were fought there for its 
possession. 

An old soldier of the Civil War who knew nothing of the 
Fort or of the manner of aboriginal warfare suggested while 
passing through the Fort one day: 

"I'll bet them walls is chock full o' bullets and shells. If 
there's as many skeletons there ez people round here says the' is, 
the' must 'a been lots o' shootin' goin' on them times." 



14 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



Burials In and About the Fort. 

From the different shapes of the skulls found in and about 
the Fort, Professor Moorehead concludes that two tribes or 
stocks of people dwelt in this locality at the same time. These 
he calls the "Short-heads" and the "Long-heads." The former 
may have buried their dead in the well-made stone graves, and 
buried with them ornaments and implements of war ; whereas 
the latter may be those buried in stone heaps, without either 
ornaments or implements of war. The burials on the hillsides 
outside the Fort were in shallow stone heaps, while those inside 
the Fort were in deep stone graves. Possibly the "Long-heads" 
were held in captivity and were not given the honor of ceremo- 
nial burial. Some archaeologists, however, believe that the differ- 
ences in crania and in modes of burial do not warrant the belief 
that two stocks cf people are buried here. 

No. 18. Burial Site. 

On the terrace, nineteen feet down the embankment, were 
found fragments of eighteen or twenty skeletons among a heap 
of stones, eighty feet long, twenty feet wide, and two feet high* 
containing four hundred and sixty wagonloads. The bones were 
from ten to twenty inches under the surface. Some decorated 
and much plain pottery, a very fine celt, an excellent specimen 
cf tool-sharpening tool, and a few good flint knives were found 
buried among the bones. 

No. 19. Cemetery. 

This spot marks the center of the Mound-Builders' largest 
burying-grcund. In every direction for one handred and ten 
feet skeletons have been found; three hundred graves have been 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



15 



opened, and over one thousand wagonloads of stones removed 
by different excavators. 

Professor Moorehead found twenty skeletons. The burials 
were made in coffin-shaped stone graves, formed by placing 
stones beside and over the bodies. The interments were not so 
carefully made as those in the valley below, but are otherwise 
almost identical. 

In some of the graves there were no stones at the sides, but 
the bodies were covered with two layers of flat stones above. 
One skeleton was completely encircled and covered with stones, 
while beside it were found fragments of pottery, a large stone 
celt, and a spear-head of yellow flint. The bones were saved 
entire and are now on exhibition at the Smithsonian Institute. 
Professor Moorehead says: "All skulls found in stone graves 
were well shaped; while those found in stone heaps were the 
thick ones." Members of two races are found buried about Fort 
Ancient. One of them may have been in captivity. 

Some writers have believed that the interments in the stone 
graves and stone heaps were made by the Shawnee Indians. As 
against this theory Professor Moorehead offers the following 
argument: The Shawnees came to Ohio about 1710. The walnut 
tree, whose stump still remains here and whose roots spreid 
out over the graves, was cut down in the fall of 1870. The rings 
of the stump showed a growth of two hundred and fifty-fire 
years. It sprouted, therefore, about the year 1615, or ninety- 
five years before the Shawnees came to Ohio. Hence the Shaw- 
nees, Professor Moorehead concludes, could not have made the 
interments. 

No. 20. Burial Site. 

Here fragmentary human bones, celts and flint chips were 
found among a heap of stones containing forty wagonloads. 



16 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



No. 21. Burial Site. 

Here two stone burial heaps ran together and formed a pile 
fifty feet long, twenty feet wide, and two feet high, containing 
one hundred wagonloads of stones. Twenty fragmentary skele- 
tons were found among them. All of the skulls were crushed, 
and almost all of the jaw-bones were broken. The skeletons 
were those of very strong men, of average size. A clay dish or 
rase, five inches long, and almost entire, an ornamental slate 
pendant, and a beautiful stone celt were also found in the heaps. 

No. 22. (V-Y-Y) Village Sites in the Old Fort. 

These are the sites of the villages of the Mound-Builders. The 
village site in the Old Fort covered from fifteen to twenty acres, 
and over this area were found animal bones, flint chips and 
fragments of pottery. In early times "hut-rings" or circles of 
clay like small circus rings thirty to forty feet in diameter were 
also found at frequent intervals in the field. The circles marked 
the outer boundaries of tepees or lodges which were built of 
saplings set in the ground, bound together at the top by vines 
or more pliant saplings, and roofed with cla} T . When the poles 
decayed, or when the lodges were abandoned, they were torn 
down, and the clay roof, falling to the ground, formed the 
circles. The plow has left no traces of them, but their location 
is remembered by persons now living. Professor Moorehead notes 
their resemblance to the lodges of the Mandan Indians of upper 
Missouri (1810-1835). 

Pits. 

Pits with bark floors were often found at the edges of the 
lodges. These pits were used as cellars for storing grain, beans, 
nuts, and even wild fruits, and possibly animal food. In some 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



17 



cases the bark floors and the contents of the pits have been 
charred, thus preserving them to reward the search of the 
excavator. These pits when abandoned as cellars were often 
used as rubbish sinks, and occasionally as burial vaults. 

Oven-Pits. 

Pits have been found in the Scioto Valley in which the heat 
has been so great as to burn the sides of the pits to a deep red, 
and several inches in depth. These were doubtless used as ovens 
for baking mussels. Professor Mills found two such pits at the 
Gartner Mound, near the Scioto River. From the number of 
mussel shells found in each pit he concludes that fully five 
thousand mussels were used in each bake. Similar pits were 
likely dug here also. 

No. 23. Three Mounds Southeast or the Fort. 

There are three mounds one and one-half mile southeast of 
the Fort. A circle of stone around one of these mounds enclosed 
fifteen skeletons. All the burials were made with the heads 
toward the center. Ornaments of bear teeth were found buried 
with them. 

No. 24. 

Many stones were found at this gateway. 

No. 25. Reservoir. 

No. 26. Fire-Bed. 
The ground shows evidence of long-continued fire. 

No. 27. Terraces. 

The terraces along the hillsides at Fort Ancient have attracted 
much interest among investigators. They are of clay and not of 
glacial gravel. Evidences of occupation b}^ man are found 



18 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 




••Twin Mounds,'' Southeast Extremity of AVall of South Fort. 



several inches below their surface. One of the terraces is about 
half way down the hillside from Prospect Point and extends for 
a quarter of a mile around the hill to the south and east. 

The lower terrace is 135.2 feet above low-water level. A 
terrace extending for mere than a mile along the hillside on the 
opposite side of the river is 137.7 feet above low-water level, 
and a third terrace (see No. 4), nearly two miles north of a part 
of the first terrace, is 136.6 feet above low- water level. Was 
this almost uniform level accidental, or did the Mound-Builders 
understand the principle of the level? Were the terraces the 
shores of a lake? 

No. 28. Prospect Poixt. 
The view from this point is said by travelers to be one of the 
most picturesque views to be seen in non-mountainous countries. 
It is sometimes called "Point Lookout.'' 




19 



20 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



No. 29. Ridges on Graded Roadways. 

Several ridges slope from the embankments toward the river 
by almost uniform grr.de. They were formed by glacial action; 
but they may have been worked by man to afford an easy 
approach to the walls from the valley below. 

No. 30. Moat. 

The original depth of the moat here was seven feet below the 
surrounding level. It has been filled up by the decay of 
vegetable matter. 

No. 31. First Three Sections of the Embankments. 

These sections of the wall are respectively eighty-five, one 
hundred and ten, and one hundred and fifty-nine feet in length. 
They are about the longest stretches of the embankments. It is 
probable that the Fort walls at the time of their completion 
were surmounted by strong palisades, for remains of palisades 
have been found on similar hill-forts elsewhere. 

No. 32. 

The first point at the top of the wall south of the pike is 
Station One of Fowke and Cowen's Survey. This point is 941 
feet above the level of the Atlantic Ocean, and 291 feet 
above the low-water level of the Little Miami River. The 
wall here is twenty-two feet high and seventy-four feet wide at the 
base. Doctor Scoville found enclosing stone walls at the sides of 
the embankments. After exhaustive researches he concluded that 
the wall at this point was originally fifty-four feet wide at the 
base, fifteen to twenty feet wide at the top, and about twenty- 
four feet high. 




21 



22 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



The six sections of the wall between the ravines, when taken 
separately, are perfectly straight, but taken collectively, they 
form a curved line, with the angles at the openings. This re- 
sulted, as Doctor Scoville pointed out, from following the course 
of the streamlets already here when the walls were erected, the 
stream-beds affording additional protection. 

The summits of the three sections south of the roadway are 
on an almost exactly horizontal line. From this the doctor con- 
cluded that the original summits were flat, that the erosion has 
been principally from the sides, and that the original summits 
were not much higher than the present summits. 

No. 33. Moats. 

Both within and without the embankments evidences of moats 
or ditches are found. The moats, together with the small streams, 
added to the difficulty of approach by an attacking enemy. The 
dirt from the moats was doubtless used in the construction of 
the walls. 

"At no place does the moat seem to be deeper than six feet, 
and the average is about four. I can not say that the moat 
was filled with water. Excavations in it yield pottery, animal 
bones, flint implements and chips, and a few human bones. I 
can not believe that the moat is a strong feature of the place, 
save on the east side, where it is placed without the wall. There 
it seems to add considerable strength to the place. But at the 
many points where it is within the walls, it seems to be positively 
a detriment rather than a help. However, there may have been 
good reasons of which we know not for this peculiar method of 
defense. As I have before remarked, the inside moat is a char- 
acteristic feature of all prehistoric works in this country. Traces 
of fire at many points in the ditches seem to indicate that they 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



28 



were not filled with water, and were used (for short intervals) 
as convenient places for camp-fires, etc." 

Many believe that these stream-beds and moats along the east 
embankment outside afforded protected passageways into the 
guarded way between the parallel walls, and that from the 
guarded way the natives resisted the first onslaught of the 
enemy coming from the level country to the northeast.. 

Stories of Hidden Treasure, Caves and Subterranean Passages. 

Professor Moorehead repeats stories told him while conducting 
his excavations. Many have believed them. 

"For many years some of the farmers in the neighborhood 
believed that a treasure lay hidden within the walls of this struc- 
ture. Much time and money have been wasted in vainly search- 
ing for it. A story has gained considerable notoriety and is 
believed by many people, although most foolish and utterly 
groundless. The story has been related to me a number of times, 
and I would not be surprised if some of those who reported it 
believed it themselves. The story runs as follows: 

"Long years ago, before the Mexican War, an old Indian 
came back to Fort Ancient from the Indian Territory, whither 
the Shawnees had been removed. He took up his abode with an 
old hunter and trapper, and spent all his time during the night 
in digging in some secret place in the wild ravines. He dug 
for twelve nights, and at midnight on the twelfth night he and 
the old trapper came upon a treasure. They say the Indian had 
a wonderfully loud, shrill voice. As soon as he made the dis- 
covery he let out a fearful yell, and the citizens of Fort Ancient, 
hearing it, arose bright and early the next morning and went 
over to the cabin of the trapper, expecting to hear of a terrible 
tragedy. They found the Indian gone and two or three little 



24 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



stone jugs in a broken condition on the floor. On the interior 
of these jugs was considerable clay and in the clay the marks 
of coins. So this Indian went away ver} r wealthy with the gold 
he had secured, and the old trapper bought a farm near by, in 
which he lived the remainder of his days. It is claimed that the 
old trapper, who had never been known to have a dollar ahead 
at one time, paid $3,000 in gold for this farm. 

"Some years ago there was printed in Cincinnati an account 
of a wonderful cave lying underneath the fortification. It was 
said that it was discovered by an old hunter and trapper. Prob- 
aibly it was the same master mind who found the gold. He told 
some of the people in the neighborhood that he had discovered 
a cave, but enlightened no one as to the exact location of it. 
So that when he died the secret was lost with him. This story 
has gained wide credence and many people believe it. Many 
persons coming to the Fort expect to see this cave and explore 
its mysteries. 

"Taking advantage of this romantic rumor, a tenant who 
had charge of Fort Ancient and who took delight in guying the 
gullible, was in the habit of calling the attention of visitors to 
the cave. An unusual circumstance gave credibility to the 
joke. A farmer from Kansas had formerly occupied the tenant 
house at the Fort. Fearing a cyclone, he had dug a hole in the 
bank of a ravine near the house. The cave was eight by ten 
feet. To this he intended to flee in case of a cyclone. Later 
on the cave was used by subsequent tenants as a potato cellar. 
But the tenant who loved to fool the people thought to make 
a better place out of it, so he put a nice fence around the cave, 
put a door in the entrance and a padlock on the door. During 
his stay at the Fort he palmed off the cave as the entrance to 
a mysterious subterranean passage to the river and had great 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



25 



fun at the expense of the unsophisticated tourists who came to 
visit Fort Ancient. Perhaps many families have heard the won- 
derful story of the cave fresh from the lips and colored by the 
vivid imagination of one who had been initiated into the mys- 
teries of the tenant's potato cellar." 

No. 34. Platforms. 

The platforms or breaks in the ditches were not filled in, but 
were merely left for approaches to the openings in the walls. 

Gateways, or Openings in the Walls. 

There are seventy-four artificial openings in the enclosing 
walls. They afforded ready means for ingress and egress for the 
inhabitants of the place and surrounding country. Probably 
they were furnished with means of closure; but no conclusive 
evidence of such provision has as yet been discovered, although 
decayed fragments of w r hat might have been supporting posts 
of gates or bastions have been found in similar earthworks else- 
where. Men familiar with modern fortifications can not under- 
stand why there should be so many of these gaps. One-fourth 
of the number would have been sufficient. The greater number 
weakens the wall for defense. 

No. 35. Ditch from Mound No. 68 to the Ravine. 

Professor Moorehead believes that an artificial ditch extended 
northwest from this mound. Excavators discovered the original 
surface several feet below the present surface. In the bottom 
of the ditch were found remains of bones and fragments of pot- 
tery. It may have been used as a cover for retreat, the natives 
running through it to the hollow below. 



26 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



No. 36. 

(Mound No. 68, as numbered by Professor Moorehead.) 

This mound consists of dark loam, with yellow clay on top. 
The clay is heaviest on the west side, and the loam on the east 
side. It was likely rebuilt. At the base of the mound is a layer 
of black soil, four inches thick, and of a very offensive odor. It 
contains fragments of finely finished pottery, charcoal flakes, 
and two pockets of soft earth and ashes. 

In digging out a trench running northeast from this mound 
the same odor and the same soil were found fully five feet below 
the surface. This odor was never observed elsewhere among 
relics of the Mound-Builders. 

No. 37. 

(Mound No. 69, as numbered by Professor Moorehead.) 

This mound is of yellow clay, with patches of dark earth here 
and there. The excavators found fragments of pottery and 




The Two Mounds at the Ends of the Parallel Walls. 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



27 



animal bones, but no traces of human bones. The roots of this 
elm tree have doubtless prevented the mound from injury from 
washing. 

No. 38. 

(Mound No. 50, as numbered by Professor Moorehead.) 

Mound No. 50 is one-fourth of a mile southeast of Mound 
No. 69. It contained the following: A layer of burnt stone, 
three inches thick and six inches above the base line ; two 
pockets covered with burnt stone, in which were pottery frag- 
ments, and three discs of yellow mica, with neatly-trimmed edges ; 
a fragmentary human skeleton, and with it one arrow-head, 
pieces of pottery, a mass of red ocher, a broken celt, and a fine 
stone relic. 

No. 39. Parallel Walls. 

Extending northeast from these two mounds, Nos. 36 and 37, 
and one hundred and thirty feet apart were two parallel walls, 
2,760 feet long, twelve feet wide and one foot high. The}^ have 
been almost effaced by frequent plowing, but traces of them may 
yet be seen under the fences and at points along their course. 
At the northeast end the walls curved together around a small 
mound. The ground is red and burnt, but nothing of impor- 
tance was ever found either in or under these parallel walls. 
They bear a striking resemblance to the stadia of ancient Athens. 

No. 40. Pavements. 

A number of paved areas have been discovered at the Fort. 
The largest is the one extending for tw r o hundred feet or more 
between the Parallel Walls. It is forty or fifty feet in width 
and lies one foot under the present surface of the soil. It was 
built of stones averaging twelve by six inches by one to two 
inches in size, with gravel between the stones for evenness. In 



28 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



places the stones show evidences of heat, and all are worn some- 
what on the upper side. Pottery, bones and ashes have also been 
found about and between the stones. A similar level area of 
tamped and burnt clay was found near Chillicothe. 

Some archaeologists believe that these areas were used as 
crematories, and that the ashes and charred bones were buried in 
the mounds near by. Professor Moorehead believes that this 
pavement was used as a place of assembly and amusement. The 
two large mounds to the west may have been the starting and 
finishing points of the race course on the parallel walls, or they 
may have been lookouts or pulpits for the leaders in the worship 
of the sun, or places where the musicians with tom-tom beats 
or other weird music kept time for the dancers in the sacred or 
war dance on the pavement below. 

Prof. W. C. Mills discovered a number of smaller paved areas 
at the Fort. The one south of the Giant Causeway and along 
the east side of the west embankment was probably laid to 
afford a firm footing to and from the reservoir near by. Indeed^ 
all of the pavements (here we abandon the lead of archaeological 
fancy) may have been laid for the same purpose for which men 
lay them today — to afford a firm footing and to keep them up 
out of the mud and water. 

The Village in the Valley. 

(Along the railway and river north of the station and hotel.) 

"On the banks of the Little Miami River, less than half a 
mile from Fort Ancient, is a large village site. The graves and 
the relics indicate that the same tribe who lived within the 
enclosure also resided upon the banks of the river. This village 
site is much larger than the one within the Fort. It covers 
fully one hundred acres of ground." 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



29 



It was occupied for a considerable length of time, as is shown 
by the remains of occupancy which extend to a depth of more 
than four feet. Three distinct strata at different depths may 
be traced. 

The first stratum is two feet below the surface, and is six 
inches thick. In it are ashes, charcoal, scattered bones in small 
pieces and red pottery of crude design. 

The second stratum is four feet below the surface, and is the 
largest of the three deposits. In it are bones of almost ever\ 
bird, beast or fish known to haye lived in this region, fragments 
of pottery, soft earth, a large, black mass of ashes, thousands 
of mussel shells perforated at or near the center, and burnt 
stone, showing long-continued cooking on one spot. Many 
sherds of pottery were artistically decorated. "Among other 
articles discoyered were hammer and grinding-stones, broken 
celts, spear and arrow-heads, and kniyes of flint, bone awls and 
needles, some pointed at both ends, tibiae of deer, with the shaft 
worked to giye a sharp edge on each side, . . . deer antlers, 
some of which showed marks of use as perforators or polishers, 
a few slate gorgets and a few small, perforated shell discs. ?? 

The third stratum is fiye and one-half feet below the surface, 
and is less than six inches thick. Here were found many antlers 
of deer. 

No. 4*1. Three Burial Sites in the Valley. 

Thirty-seven graves, at an average depth of two feet, were 
opened in the three burial sites along the river. Twenty-five 
crania of a brachycephalic — short-headed — race were secured 
entire. 

"The children were found, with but one or two exceptions, in 
one cemetery ; the adults in another. Another peculiarity was 




30 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



31 



that the skeletons of men were absent from these graves in the 
valley, and that women and children constituted the entire 
interment." 

These graves were undoubtedly constructed in pre-Columbian 
times; for two periods of occupation have existed since the burials: 
and no glass beads or implements of iron were ever discovered 
among the debris to show association with European explorers 
or settlers. 

In 1812, before they were cleared, these burial sites were 
covered with the largest sycamore, elm and walnut timber. The 
burials were made sufficiently early for a deposit of six or eight 
inches of river sand to have accumulated over them before that 
date. 

Lower Village Burial Site. 

The excavations about the graves found here were made in 
1891. Upon a given day the graves were opened in the presence 
of eleven hundred people. Nearly all the graves were hollow, 
only a little earth having filtered in between the crevices. The 
stone slabs used here were larger than in the Upper Village 
Burial Site north of this point. 

Upper Village Burial Site. 

(Five hundred to six hundred feet from the above.) 

Sixteen graves were found here. "The interments were some- 
what different from those in the large cemetery in the South 
Fort on the hill. After the excavation of the grave had been 
made . . . stone slabs twenty-four to thirty inches in length 
by eight to ten inches in width were set upon edge one foot apart 
on each side at the head and at the feet. Large slabs were placed 
above." Here evidences of what loggers call a "shack" were 
found. 



32 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



Xorthmost Burial Site. 
The interments made here were like those described above. 

The Irish Resurrectionist. 
Soon after the burying grounds were opened at the Fort a 
clever Irishman concluded to make some excavations in search of 
skeletons for profit. Accordingly, a friend and he worked one 
hot summer afternoon with spade and shovel, and finally located 
a grave. The bones of the skeleton found in the grave were all 
in good enough condition except the skull, which — as is usually 
the case in these graves — was in fragments. They threw the 
bones and stones carelessly back into the grave, breaking many 
of the bones in doing so. Then they started to walk home along 
the railway track, hot, worn out and disappointed. Presently 
the friend incidentally mentioned that he had a skull in a good 
state of preservation at home. The Irishman stopped short, and> 
wiping the perspiration from his forehead with his sleeve, 
exclaimed in disgust: "Well, why didn't you say so before? We 
could 'a put your skull onto the good bones of that Mound- 
Builder's trunk and made a hundred dollars apiece ! Nobody 
but one o' them experts would ever ? a knowed the difference." 

The Story of the Ghost Dentist. 
An amusing story is told of the experiences of the inhabitants 
of Fort Ancient with one of the skeletons exhumed in the valley. 
It was carefully removed from the stone grave and placed in a 
sand box in the room above the Fort Ancient store, where many 
came to see it. 

The sight was uncanny and soon aroused the superstitions of 
the countryside. Groanings and moanings, even shrieks were said 
to be heard coming from the chamber, especially during the 
night and amidst the storms which swept the valley. Fear 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



33 



seized the neighborhood, Timid persons were afraid to pass the 
store after dark. The tales of the ghoulish sight and the rumors 
of the sounds of anguish possessed them. 

After a storm more violent than usual, when the moans and 
groans from the chamber had been most agonizing, a few coura- 
geous souls ventured to visit the room to see what evidences of 
suffering and conflict might be discovered. A gravelike stillness 
filled the place. The intruders crept stealthily to the side of 
the sand box. The skeleton of the aborigine was still there. All 
was as before, but lo, a tooth was gone! The intruders retreated 
in confusion to the landing and scurried down stairs. A spirit 
dentist was at work ! 

The story spread like wildfire. Terror fed on terror. No 
longer were there courageous ones willing to venture within the 
chamber where the Mound-Builder's skeleton lay in state. Super- 
stitious dread of even human dentists was rife enough in the 
valley ; but a ghost dentist, alas, who would dare to venture 
near his forceps ! 

One fearless inhabitant, however, stood firm against the con- 
tagious terror. It was the Irish resurrectionist. He had his 
theory how it came about. This he kept a secret. He deter- 
mined to see for himself. He took to visiting the chamber at 
night alone. After a few nights a second tooth was missing; 
then a third ! The mystery perplexed him. Still he continued 
his nocturnal visits. 

On a stormy night, just before the through freight was due* 
he took his station lantern, climbed the ladder to the charnel 
room, and crept noiselessly to the side of the skeleton. The 
oncoming train shrieked up the valley. The resurrectionist held 
the lantern over the skull of the Mound-Builder. The light shone 
through the spaces in the gumless upper jaw left by the three 
missing teeth. Where were they? Who had removed them? 



34 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



The train rumbled nearer and nearer. The resurrectionist 
fastened his gaze upon the aborigine. The building began to 
shake and creak. The sand box and the skeleton visibly quiv- 
ered. The head of the aborigine shook and his teeth rattled in 
their sockets. The heavy engine rumbled by, when lo, an 
incisor loosed from its socket slip — slipped and fell from the 
Mound-Builders jaw into the sand below! 

The resurrectionist lifted his lantern. Then he ran his fingers 
into the sand and removed not only the incisor which had just 
fallen, but also the three other teeth. The spirit dentist had 
been detected in the very act ! 

But to this dav there are some among the oldest inhabitants 
of Fort Ancient who are none too willing to talk to you about 
the ghost dentist who spread such terror throughout the coun- 
tryside. 




Fort Ancient Hotel. A Famous Tavern of "Ye Olden Time.*' 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



35 



The Great Ax, 

This stone, which resembles 
an immense ax and weighs 
two hundred and thirty 
pounds, was found near Fort 
Ancient. For years it lay in 
the yard at the hotel and was 
shown to visitors as an arti- 
fact of the Mound-Builders. 
Some archaeologists pronounce 
it "emblematic" and insist 
that the aborigines may have 
set it up as a symbol of 
s t r e n g t h — the ax of the 
Mound-Builders' god. 
Whether the resemblance to 
the stone ax of the aborigines 
is accidental or by human de- 
sign may never be determined. 
But the stone is worth seeing, 
shall Ward on the Lebanon an 




The Stone Ax (Emblematic). 
Weight, 235 lbs. 

It is now in the yard of Mr. Mar- 
d Morrow Pike. 





The Dayton (Ohio) Y. M. C. A. Boys' "Camp Ozone," at Fort Aneient. 



Artifacts Found at Fort Ancient 



"The problematical forms shown at page 37 present a variety 
of shapes. At the top are two sandstone objects (all these are 
shown about one-third size) which have grooves and depressions. 
The one to the left has depressions that resemble finger-marks ; 
the one to the right, as if a tool of copper had been sharpened 
upon its surface. These were found in the Old Fort. 

"No. 807 was found in 1884, and is a heart-shaped ornament 
of red slate. It is finely finished, polished and worked quite thin. 

"To the right of the heart-shaped object is an ornament of 
banded slate, having two perforations. This was found in a grave 
by a farmer residing near the walls of the Fort. 

"The plumb-shaped object next to it is of blue slate, has a 
groove cut around the upper portion, as if it may have been used 
for suspension around the neck similar to an ornament. 

"Lying elevated on two stones are two tubes or hollow cylinders 
of slate well bored and presenting a symmetrical appearance. 
They were found in the New Fort. 

"No. 799 is a paint cup of soapstone found in a grave in 1884. 

"To the right is a small discoidal stone of white limestone. 
Several of these discoidal stones have been found near the Fort. 

"Nos. 905, 881 and 897 are all black or banded slate ornaments 
of superior finish and large size. There seems to be quite a number 
of objects of this class found within the walls, and it is a note- 
worthy fact that they are always of superior workmanship, seldom 
broken, and occasionally unfinished. In any large museum col- 
lection the percentage of broken problematical forms is larger 
than of perfect forms. The Fort Ancient types are, therefore, 
peculiar." — From Prof. W. K. Moorehead's "Fort Ancient," 
Part II. 

36 



Problematical Objects. Tubes and Ornaments. Surface Finds. 
Old Fort and Middle Fort. 

From Prof. Moorehead's "Ft. Ancient," Part. II. 



37 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



39 



MOUND BUILDERS 

At the close of the meeting of the American Association for 
the Advancement of Science at Columbus in 1899. one hundred 
of its members, with the officers of the Ohio Archaeological and 
Historical Society, made an excursion to Fort Ancient, Warren 
County, the largest of the prehistoric works of America. Never 
before were so many men of science gathered together at this 
wonderful work. A dinner was served in a grove within the Fort, 
and short addresses were made by representatives of several uni- 
versities and others interested in archaeology. The chairman of 
the meeting then spoke of the eminent men Warren County has 
produced, mentioning Governors Morrow and Corwin, and called 
on Josiah Morrow, of Lebanon, the grandson of one and the biog- 
rapher of the other, to speak as a representative of the county. 

Mr. Morrow said he had already declined to speak as 
peremptorily as a good-natured man could decline a kindly- 
intended invitation. He had no claim to be classed among 
men of science, and he was only asked to speak because he hap- 
pened to have been born and to live in the county in which Fort 
Ancient was built: and he confessed that he took pride in the 
fact that the greatest and strongest of all the works of the 
Mound-Builders, the Gibraltar of prehistoric America, was made 
by Warren County people. This convulsed the whole assembly, 
grave and reverend professors joining in the laugh. 

Continuing, the speaker said: "We are greatly indebted to 
the archaeologists for valuable knowledge concerning the pre- 
historic peoples and their works. On one occasion a student at 
Lebanon called on me for assistance in the preparation of an 
essay on the mounds cf the Mississippi Valley, and he wished 
to know two things: first, who built the mounds, and seconds 
when they were built. I replied that I was glad to be able to 
answer both questions. I then informed him that the archaeol- 
ogists and archaeographers, the ethnologists and ethnographers 
have finally determined that they were made by that remarkable 
race formerly inhabiting the interior of North America, known 



40 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



as the Mound-Builders, and that they were made at that period 
in American chronology known as the prehistoric age, " 

These humorous answers afforded the inquirer little infor- 
mation; but they expressed, in a different form, the answer 
which all, even after the most exhaustive research, must give, 
namely, "No one knows." 

What race of people built this most remarkable work we can 
not know, nor even whether or no it was the race we call the 
Mound-Builders. There are two theories among archaeologists 
concerning the Mound-Builders ; one is that they were simply 
some tribe or tribes of Indians ; the other, that they belonged 
to a more ancient and civilized people. The advocates of one 
theory point to the facts that, while their earthworks are exten- 
sive, no mark of a chisel has been found on one of the building 
stones; no implement, utensil or ornament has been found in 
their works indicating mechanical skill beyond that of some 
tribes of Indians ; nothing in their works indicate exact meas- 
urement ; their circles are not perfect circles, their squares are 
not perfect squares. On the other hand, it is claimed that the 
tribes of Indians which the whites found in possession of the 
country had no knowledge of the origin of these works, and 
could give no information concerning them. 

While Fort Ancient bears evidence that it was intended as a 
work of defense, and is properly called a fort, the real purpose 
of the mounds and many earthworks is still a mystery. By 
whom built, at what period, and for what purpose, we can never 
know. Their builders left no history of their race to tell us 
whence they came or how they disappeared. Even tradition is 
silent concerning them; their very name is lost forever; and 
in the absence of positive knowledge, we call them the Mound- 
Builders, a name indicative of our ignorance. 

More than ten thousand mounds in Southern Ohio alone 
stand as mute monuments to the industry of this unknown 
race ; and many others are scattered throughout that part of 
the United States which lies between the Great Lakes on the 
north and the Gulf of Mexico on the south, and is bounded on 
the west by the States lining the west bank of the Mississippi 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



River, and on the east by a line drawn through the middle of 
the States of New York and Pennsylvania, and extending south- 
ward so as to include the greater part of the Carolinas and the 
whole of Georgia and Florida. 

While it can never be known who the Mound-Builders were, 
still it may be interesting to learn what the archaeologists and 
theorists have concluded or surmised about them. 

Who Were the Mound-Builders? Whence Came They? 

From the fact that there are no similar earthworks east of 
the Allegheny Mountains, it is agreed that they did not come 
from that region. It is argued, however, that they came from 
Iceland, and that this country is the "New Iceland" mentioned 
in the "Sagas" of that island; that they were of the tribes of 
Northern Asia, and that they crossed over by Behring Strait ; 
that they were the Mandan Indians who built similar lodges 
and molded pottery of identical shapes and designs at their 
villages along the Upper Missouri ; that they were a tribe of 
Indians from the Gulf States; that they were a tribe of the 
Lenapes, a powerful stock of Indians from the north. Still 
others maintain that the Mound-Builders were none other than 
the Shawnees, a tribe of the Algonquin stock which migrated 
from the northwest, entered this territory about 1710, and were 
in possession of it when the white man came. 

When Were the Mounds Built? 

Mr. Moorehead suggested at one time that the mounds may 
have been built about 1400 or 1430 A. D. This opinion he 
based upon the depth of the soil formed upon the pavement and 
plateau by decaying vegetable matter since their abandonment 
by the Mound-Builders. Two forests also have grown to 
maturity since the erection of the mounds, and probably more 
than two. 

Some writers hold that the earthworks at Fort Ancient were 
not all built at the same time. Doctor Scoville says : "There 
are indications that the parallel walls, the different mounds, the 



42 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



crescents, and perhaps the two moats were constructed long 
before the heavy enclosing walls." Some have gone further 
back beyond the dates suggested by Mr. Moorehead, putting 
the age of the embankments at 5,000 years. 

How Were the Mounds Built? 

The building of the earthworks by primitive means was a 
most laborious task. The soil was probably loosened by means 
of hoes or adzes of shell or stone, and carried in baskets of 
withes or skin. In some places, where the structure of the 
mounds or walls is of one kind of soil, spots of about half a 
bushel of another kind of soil appear. From this it has been 
inferred that the laborers were carrying the earth from different 
places at the same time, and that they carried about half a 
bushel at a load. 

It is not improbable that the earthworks were built by a 
people in captivity. Professor Moorehead says that skulls of 
two distinct stocks — the "Long-heads" and the "Short-heads" — 
have been found about the Fort; and the burial of the former 
in stone heaps without ornaments or implements of war or hus- 
bandry may be an evidence of their captivity. 

Professor Putnam, of Harvard University, one of the most 
careful workers in this field of inquiry, has said that there is 
evidence of a mingling of races in the Miami Valley. 

For What Purpose Were They Built? 

From the crude resemblance of the outline of the earthworks 
to the outline of North and South America some have held that 
they were built as effigies of those two continents, although it 
would seem quite apparent that in following the natural em- 
bankments the resulting contour of the artificial walls was more 
the result of accident than of design. 

Again, from the perfect closure formed by the walls and 
bastions, they might have served as corrals into which wild 
animals were driven, the archers or spearmen killing the game 
from their vantage points on the mounds and walls. 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



43 



One antiquarian advanced the idea that the walls were to 
protect the Indians from the mastodons. 

Another theory is that the earthworks are the effigies of great 
serpents. But more exact effigies are found elsewhere, and these 
are always of slight elevation. 

An archaeologist, a learned Ph. D. and D. D., was pointing 
out what he thought was a resemblance of the earthworks to 
a serpent. Turning to a lawyer in the party, he exclaimed, 

"Don't you see, Mr. M , the resemblance to the serpent ?" 

"No," replied the lawyer, slowly. "But then, doctor, I'm not 
so used to seeing snakes as you are." 

It is most probable, however, that the earthworks were erected 
chiefly for defense. Military experts have pronounced this loca- 
tion the best site for defensive military structure to be found in 
the Ohio Valley. Another reason for believing it for defense 
is that the wall is always highest where an enemy might most 
easily approach, and where the approach is by the steep river 
hill, there is no wall at all. Professor Moorehead says: "It 
might be accepted that all the hilltop works, save, of course, 
the effigy structures, are defensive in character. A trace of 
palisades upon some of the hilltop fortifications proves their 
use beyond a doubt. When we consider that the Miami Valley 
contains a great many village sites, mounds and small enclo- 
sures, and that Fort Ancient is the only really strong position 
of them all, we can readily believe that the aborigines, for a 
radius of thirty or forty miles, would flock to this rendezvous 
and use it as a common fortification." Professor Moorehead 
estimated that 40,000 might have so found protection within 
the enclosure. It is not probable, however, that the Fort was 
occupied for long periods of time by large numbers, for the 
human remains found here are comparatively few. 

Relations With Other Villages. Commerce. 

That the villages at Madisonville, those near Frankfort and 
Cedarville, and those along the Great Miami River were in com- 
munication with Fort Ancient there seems to be little doubt. 
Signal fires displayed from high points may have warned the 



44 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



villagers of the approach of an enemy, whereupon they fled to 
the sheltering* walls of Fort Ancient. Manv believe also that 
some sort of communication existed between the Mound-Builders 
whose villages and mounds extended in a chain from Southern 
Ohio to Ceneral New York. 

That the inhabitants of Fort Ancient had extensive commer- 
cial relations in various directions is evidenced by the finding 
of flints from Indiana and Eastern Ohio, mica from Pennsyl- 
vania or North Carolina, shells from the shores of the Gulf of 
Mexico, and copper from Lake Superior. At other earthworks 
in Ohio much more extensive finds have been made, including 
copper, larger quantities of sea-shells, mica, pearls, lead prob- 
ably from Illinois, and obsidian from the region now included 
in Yellowstone Park. All these have been found in the villages 
in the Scioto Valley in large quantities, some of them by the 
thousands. 

Mode of Life. 

The exploration of the village sites at Fort Ancient indicates 
that the people lived largely by hunting and fishing. There is 
no evidence that they were agriculturists to the extent of the 
tribes in the Scioto Valley, or even those at Madisonville, near 
Cincinnati. In the village sites of the Scioto Valley there have 
been found charred remains of corn in the ear, and shelled corn 
and beans stored away in coarse sacks. 

We know that the Mound-Builders chipped flint and fash- 
ioned other stones into various shapes. They probably dressed 
in the skins of animals, made baskets of withes and skin, and 
dwelt in lodges made of saplings, skin and clay. At some 
villages of the Mound-Builders excavators report the finding of 
evidences of tilled fields or garden beds. 

Culture. 

It is now recognized that the culture of this ancient people 
was strictly "Indian" in character, and belonged to the "Pol- 
ished Stone Age," a transition stage between the Stone Age 
and the Metal Age. In a number of prominent traits it bore a 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



45 



striking likeness to the culture of the Indians discovered by 
De Soto in the Gulf States in 1540-42. 

The implements, ornaments and utensils of the Mound-Build- 
ers were of bone, shell and stone. Copper and lead have been 
found at the sites of some of their villages. These metals they 
hammered into various shapes, but they knew nothing of the 
smelting and casting of them. 

THere is a noticeable improvement in the culture of these 
people the farther south one goes. The stone graves in Ten- 
nessee were an improvement on those at Fort xVncient, in that 
they had stone floors. The mounds at Fort Ancient were in the 
form of truncated cones; those in the Gulf States were trun- 
cated pyramids, and showed superior workmanship ; while the 
teocalli, or "temple mounds" of Mexico had stone steps added 
and were surmounted by stone temples. The stone and metal 
artifacts in many instances also showed greater skill in fash- 
ioning. 

Whither Went the Mound-Builders from Fort Ancient? 

From the similarity of the earthworks and artifacts of Ohio 
to those of the Gulf States some have held that the builders of 
the Ohio mounds were probably driven south by more powerful 
tribes from the north, and that they became the builders or the 
ancestors of the builders of the mounds of the Gulf States. But 
as against this theory Professor Cyrus Thomas reports that there 
is a marked distinction between the modes of construction and 
contents of the works of Ohio and those of the Gulf States. 

Another theory is that the builders of Fort Ancient migrated 
to the west. Artifacts like those found at Fort Ancient char- 
acterize the aboriginal villages situated in a zone running east 
and west from Fort Ancient. In fact, "the culture and type 
zones, so far as they have any bearing upon the question of 
prehistoric migration, appear to indicate that this was along 
east and west lines." 

To most of these questions concerning the earthworks and 
their builders, we can only answer as before, "No one knows." 



46 JD I & 4 



A GUIDE TO FORT ANCIENT 



The picture of the sheep on the hillside suggests the 

SOLILOQUY OF KING HENRY VI. 

O God! methinks it were a happy life, 

To be no better than a homely swain ; 

To sit upon a hill, as I do now, 

To carve out dials quaintly, point by point, 

Thereby to see the minutes how they run, 

How many make the hour full complete, 

How many hours bring about the da}', 

How many days will finish up the year, 

How many years a mortal man may live. 

When this is known, then to divide the times: 

So many hours must I tend my flock ; 

So many hours must I take my rest : 

So many hours must I contemplate ; 

So many hours must I sport myself ; 

So minutes, hours, days, months and years, 

Pass'd over to the end they were created, 

Would bring white hairs unto a quiet grave. 

Ah, what a life were this ! how sweet ! how lovely ! 

Gives not the hawthorn bush a sweeter shade 

To shepherds looking on their silly sheep 

Than doth a rich embroidered canopy 

To kings that fear their subjects' treachery? 

O yes, it doth; a thousand fold it doth! 

And to conclude, the shepherd's homely curds, 

His cold, thin drink out of his leather bottle, 

His wonted sleep under a fresh tree's shade, 

All which secure and sweetly he enjoys, 

Is far beyond a prince's delicates, 

His viands sparkling in a golden cup, 

His body couched in a curious bed, 

When care, mistrust and treason wait on him. 

— Third Part of King Henry VI, Act II, Scene 5. 



"Farm Contracts Between Landlord 
and Tenant" 

(By the Author of "A Guide to Fort Ancient") 

A practical handbook for all who write or enter into farm leases. 
Contains thirty-three selected leases and contracts of hiring for all kinds 
of farming. All methods of leasing farms described. 

The law as to all of the usual agreements in farm contracts briefly 
and plainly stated. 

Written for both landlord and tenant. For use in any State. 

Highly endorsed by the Department of Agriculture of the United 
States and Canada. 



A Few Comments: 

Most interesting - book on farm 
contracts. This is a subject which 
has received all too little considera- 
tion in this country. I hope some- 
time when you come to Washing-ton 
you will come in and let us talk 
the matter over. — W. J. Spillman, 
Chief of Bureau of Farm Manage- 
ment, Dept. of Agriculture, Wash- 
ington, D. C. 

It is the best book of its kind we 
have seen. — Farmer's Guide, April 
22, 1916. 

The price of this book is $1.50, 
and the farmer who is to make a 
lease can well afford to purchase 
a copy. It may mean a saving- of 
hundreds of dollais to him both in 
money and in satisfaction. — Hoard's 
Dairyman, April 21 1916. 

We are glad to have this useful 
volume in our working- library, and 



it is quite likely that from time to 
time we shall be able to recommend 
it to inquirers who want a book of 
this character. — Walter E. Anderson, 
Asst. Editor, The Farm Journal, 
Philadelphia, Pa. 

We should like to include the title 
in the next edition of our book cata- 
logue. — The Breeder's Gazette. 

We will add your book to our 
reference library for favorable 
mention to subscribers. — J. Clyde 
Marquis, Asst. Editor. The Country 
Gentleman. The Curtis Pub. Co., 
Philadelphia, Pa. 

One of the most useful and valu- 
able publications of its kind that 
I have seen. It ought to have a 
wide circulation among the farmers 
of Ohio. — L. J. Taber, Master Ohio 
State Grange. 



"Farm Contracts between Landlord and Tenant." is published in 
law-book style, splendidly printed, and bound in cloth with leather labels. 

Price $1.50 postpaid. Bound in Buckram, $2.00 postpaid. 



For sale by Farm Journals, Law Booksellers and by W. C. Tichenor, Lebanon, O. 



